Name Dupleix Commissioned 1903 Construction started 1897 Length 130 m Displacement 7.7 million kg | Laid down 1897 Decommissioned 27 September 1919 Launched 28 April 1900 Weight 7,700 tons Beam 18 m | |
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Class and type Dupleix-class armoured cruiser | ||
The French cruiser Dupleix was one of three Dupleix-class armoured cruisers built for the French Navy in the first decade of the 20th century.
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Design and description
Designed by the naval architect Emile Bertin, the Dupleix-class ships measured 132.1 meters (433 ft 5 in) long overall with a beam of 17.9 meters (58 ft 9 in) and had a maximum draft of 7.4 meters (24 ft 3 in). They displaced 7,735 metric tons (7,613 long tons). They had a crew of 531 or 580 officers and enlisted men.
The ships had three vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving a single propeller shaft. Steam for the engines was provided by 20 or 24 boilers and they were rated at a total of 17,500–17,800 indicated horsepower (13,000–13,300 kW) that gave them a speed of 20.7–21 knots (38.3–38.9 km/h; 23.8–24.2 mph). The Dupleix-class ships carried up to 1,180 metric tons (1,160 long tons; 1,300 short tons) of coal and could steam for 7,600 nautical miles (14,100 km; 8,700 mi) at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).
The ships of the Desaix class had a main armament that consisted of eight quick-firing (QF) 45-caliber Canon de 164 mm Modèle 1893-96 guns. They were mounted in four twin gun turrets, one each fore and aft of the superstructure and a pair of wing turrets amidships. For anti-torpedo boat defense, they carried four 45-caliber QF 100-millimeter (3.9 in) guns on the forecastle deck, ten QF 47-millimeter (1.9 in) Hotchkiss guns. They were also armed with two above water 450-millimeter (17.7 in) torpedo tubes.
The Harvey armor belt of the Desaix-class cruisers extended from 1.2 meters (4 ft) below the waterline to 2.1 meters (6 ft 10 in) above it and to a height of 2.4 meters (8 ft) at the bow. It covered the entire length of the ship except for 18.9 meters (62 ft) of the stern where it ended in a transverse bulkhead 91 millimeters (3.6 in) thick. The armor was generally 102 millimeters (4.0 in) thick, although it reduced to 84 millimeters (3.3 in) forward, and thinned to 38 millimeters (1.5 in) at its lower edge.
The curved protective deck ranged in thickness from 71 to 41 millimeters (2.8 to 1.6 in). The gun turrets were protected by 4.7–6.3-inch (120–160 mm) armor and the armor of their bases was 38–119 millimeters (1.5–4.7 in) thick. The sides of the conning tower were 81 millimeters (3.2 in) thick.
Construction and career
Dupleix, named after Joseph François Dupleix was laid down at the Arsenal de Rochefort on 18 January 1899, launched on 28 April 1900, and completed on 15 September 1903.